Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes convicted over violent plot to overturn Biden’s election win | US News
The founder of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia has been convicted of conspiracy to sedition for taking part in last year’s attack on the US Capitol.
Stewart Rhodes has instigated a plot to forcefully prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
During the eight-week trial, jurors learned that Rhodes – a former Army paratrooper who wore an eye patch after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his own gun – rallied supporters himself to protect Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors showed the jury encrypted messages, audio recordings and surveillance video in which Rhodes spoke of the prospect of a “bloody” civil war and warned team members that they had may have to “revolt” to defeat Mr. Biden if Mr. Trump does not act.
Rhodes, who attended law school at Yale but was stripped of his right to practice law, has spent thousands of dollars buying an AR-platform rifle, magazines, mounts, scopes and other gear on the way. to Washington DC before the riots.
Footage played in court shows the Vow Keepers stashing weapons at a Virginia hotel for a “quick response force,” even though the weapon was never used.
There are also records of Rhodes expressing regret for not bringing a rifle to Washington DC on the day of the riots and saying he may have hanged US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from a lamppost.
A prosecutor said that on January 6, the day of the riots, the Vow Keepers in combat gear were seen in the crowd, while Rhodes remained outside as a “general inspecting soldiers.” his soldiers on the battlefield”.
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Later, he and his militia members went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate.
Also on trial with Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, were Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida division of the Oath-Keepers, and three others.
The jury took three days to find Rhodes and Meggs guilty of plotting sedition – a Civil War charge that has not been used at trial since the 1995 prosecution of Islamist militants who planned the bombings. landmarks of New York City, although three other Oath-Keepers have pleaded guilty.
Rhodes, who was also found guilty of obstructing a formal proceeding, but acquitted on two other conspiracy counts, could be jailed for up to 20 years.
His lawyer, Ed Tapley, described the rulings as a “mixed bag”, adding: “We are grateful for the not guilty verdicts received, we are disappointed by the rulings that have been made. sin.
“No evidence has been presented to suggest that there is a plan to attack the Capitol.”
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To defend Rhodes, lawyers tried to prove his rhetoric was slander, and that the Oath-Keepers had no plans to attack the Capitol before January 6.
They say the Oath Keepers come to Washington DC solely to provide security for the likes of Trump’s longtime ally Roger Stone.
Testifying in his defense, Rhodes said he didn’t know his followers would storm the Capitol, adding that those who acted were “stupid” and out of their duty.
Rhodes founded Oath Keepers in 2009 and the organization employs current and former U.S. military personnel, law enforcement, and other first responders.
In December, four other members of the group will be tried on sedition charges, as will members of another right-wing group, the Proud Boys, including former president Enrique Tarrio.